This is our latest installment of "World Cup Digest" which will be published every Thursday afternoon from now until June 12 – when the games begin – rounding up all the stories happening off the pitch.

BEDLAM IN BRAZIL: The World Cup approaches, but the host country has been rocked by another round of protests in the last week. The pictures coming out of Brazil have looked almost apocalyptic, and the police response hasn’t been particularly reassuring.

STADIA: There’s good news on the stadium front. The stadium in Curitiba’s test run last week went off without a hitch, while Sao Paulo’s Itaquerao stadium and the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba have also passed muster at their most recent test events. All 12 stadia have now been tested. However, none of the tests were at full capacity. Seats still need to be installed, and the roof at Itaquerao is leaky. It won’t be fixed before the World Cup. Meanwhile, a second test event scheduled for May 29 at Corinthians’ stadium has been cancelled.

FIFA UNDER FIRE: In a somewhat surprising plot twist, the Brazilian association of professional athletes sued FIFA this week in a bid to reschedule every match that is slated to begin at 1 pm local time. The move seems to validate the concerns of European teams over the oppressive heat of the equatorial high noon, but as yet, FIFA has not responded.

INJURY ROUND-UP: Uruguay fans got an unwelcome bit of news when Luis Suarez left training on Wednesday with “intense pain” in his knee. The Liverpool hitman immediately got surgery, and the Uruguayan federation is hopeful he’ll still be able to play at the World Cup.

AND JUST WEIRD STUFF HAPPENING IN FRANCE: We mentioned last week that Samir Nasri’s girlfriend, Anara Atanes, reacted to the Manchester City midfielder’s exclusion from the French national team by ripping into France manager Didier Deschamps on Twitter. Deschamps and the French Football Federation are now suing Atanes for publicly insulting them.

BALLIN’ WITH ZAC AND AMOBI: adidas’ new Brazuca ball is already being used in MLS, but it will be a new experience for most squads in Brazil. It’s an entirely new design from the Jabulani, the ball used at the 2010 World Cup, and improves on the design that got ripped by field players and goalkeepers alike. Goalkeepers still hate the Brazuca, though. To take you through it, we present Philadelphia Union defender Amobi Okugo and goalkeeper Zac MacMath.

THE BEST. SORT OF.: Some great players never win the trophies or accolades that their talent might otherwise entitle them to. For a list of the best players who never made it to the World Cup, and a list of players who never played in the World Cup, here’s the Los Angeles Times.